I am a little hesitant to reach out to you. Our lives have taken very different courses and I left your family's home in disgrace. I didn't know that either your mother or your father had died and since you are all I have left of them, I would very much like to meet you.
Please agree to meet with me and I will come to Iowa. There are no strings attached. I expect nothing from you. In fact, I have some old photographs and a few precious memories of your mother that I would like to share with you.
Your Aunt,
Ruth Ann Marshall"
Polly slammed the lid down on her laptop and took a breath.
"Come on, Obiwan," she said. "It's time for you to take one last walk before we go to bed."
He heard the word "walk" and jumped off the couch. They went back through the bedroom and down the steps. Polly grabbed the leash off a hook and snapped it on his collar, then opened the door and went through the storage room to the garage. Once she got outside, she stopped, bent over, put her hands on her knees and took a breath.
"Sorry, guy. That was a little unexpected."
The storm had passed and the rain had ceased. She stood back up, trotted around the back of the house to the tree line along the creek and began to quietly jog with her dog. They headed for the highway, splashing through puddles, crossed it and picked up a path that followed the creek along the north side of town. Polly knew she would soon reach Henry's property and didn't quite know what she was thinking, but after stopping a couple of times for Obiwan, ended up in Henry's back yard. The kitchen light was on, so she and Obiwan jogged around to the front of the house. She stopped beside his porch and realized she was being overly emotional. There was every possibility the woman was lying. Polly couldn’t imagine why there would ever be a time her father wouldn’t tell her something as important as this.
The thought took her breath away again. There weren't enough people in her life that knew her parents, especially when they were young. When Polly's father died, his brother pretty much wrote her off in his own grief. They'd met a couple of times since she'd returned to Iowa, but though it was cordial, it was never friendly.
Obiwan pulled her toward the porch and began to bark.
"No," she said. "We'll go home. I'm alright."
The porch light came on and Polly felt like a deer trapped in someone's headlights.
Henry opened the front door and said, "What are you doing out here at this hour? Come in! Both of you."
Polly scowled at her dog. "Traitor," she said and walked with him up to the front door.
"I'm sorry to bother you. It's late."
"Stop it," he scolded. "It's only nine thirty. What are you doing up in this neck of the woods?"
"We were out jogging and took the north trail. When I passed your house, there was an uncontrollable tug, so I let it pull me."
Henry hugged her, "I'm glad you did. Would you like something?"
"No, we can't stay."
"Sure you can. Sit down." He pointed at the sofa and Polly obediently followed his command and sat. Obiwan lay down on the floor across her feet and Henry sat beside her, folding his leg up on the sofa so he could look at her.
"Tell me what's going on that has you in my neighborhood tonight?" he asked.
Polly pulled out her phone, brought up the email and handed it to him.
"Read this," she said.
He read through the email and handed her phone back. "That's pretty cool! Someone knew your parents."
Polly nodded. "You're right. That's how I should look at it. But, don't you think it's strange? After all these years, she reaches out to me? If she was that close to them, why did no one ever tell me about her and why didn't she know that my parents had died? And what was the disgrace that made her leave and why didn't Dad talk about her and why were there never any pictures of her with me as a baby. I've seen a lot of my baby pictures and there's no strange woman in any of them." She took a breath.
"I agree, it's a little off, but it could end up being pretty wonderful" he said. "So, what are you going to do about it?"
"I don't know. I suppose that's why I ended up here, standing outside your front door. I needed to talk to someone."
Henry leaned forward and pulled her into a hug. It was a little awkward with his leg between them, but when he kissed her lips, she forgot about awkward and relaxed against him.
He released her and said, "I'm glad you showed up in my yard tonight. Your dog can bark for me to pay attention any time."
His kisses never ceased to make her brain lose its ability to process. "Uh huh. You have to stop doing that to me," she said.
"No way. I've learned what my power is over you and I'm going to wield it as often as necessary."
"It's really not fair."
"Fair, shmair. It's what you got, pretty girl." Henry ruffled her hair and she batted his hand away, so he rested it on the sofa behind her.
"Oh!" she said, grinning at him, "I've got a date Thursday night."
"You do?" he laughed. "What young man thinks he is going to steal your heart?"
"It's actually two young men. Doug and Billy have formally invited me to come over for dinner to celebrate their one-month anniversary of apartment rental-hood."
"Good for them. I'll be sure to frighten them a little tomorrow so they don't make any moves on you."
Polly shuddered and grimaced, "That's just gross. They're like my little brothers! How can you even put that out there in the universe? It's so wrong!"
He laughed. "It is kind of wrong, isn't it? They're such good kids. I know they’ve enjoyed being able to walk to work in the morning, too."
Henry was in the midst of building another addition on the other side of Sycamore House. The structure was similar in shape and size to the garage and apartment addition, but the south wing would become four rooms for guests, more than doubling Sycamore House's capacity. The two rooms on the lower level were built to be handicap accessible and a covered walkway would give those guests full access to Sycamore House's main floor. Jeff was beginning to get quite a few requests for lodging and Polly knew that once the rooms were finished, they would begin to fill.
Her dream of having a place where people could dream big dreams and make them a reality without the stress of everyday living had come true. Sycamore House was more than she could have imagined a year ago when she began to design that dream. Henry Sturtz had been the biggest part of it, coming into her life as her contractor and sticking around as a friend and now as something much more, even though Polly wasn't yet ready to label it.
Suddenly she turned on him, "Alright. If I tell this woman to come to Bellingwood so I can meet her, will you be there with me?"
"Of course I will," he said.
"Maybe it's time," she mused.
"Time to meet her?"
"No. Time to move Dad's things here. I think most of it will fit into the garage until I sort through it. You know there's a lot of equipment from his shop, right?"
"I assumed."
"Will you help me figure out what to do with it all?"
"Certainly. Polly, you know I'll do anything for you."
Polly pushed his leg down then slid over beside him and felt him wrap his arm around her shoulder.
"Thank you for tonight," she said.
"I didn't do anything."
"Yes you did, and you know it. So, thank you.”
CHAPTER TWO
Rising early to work with the horses was easier now than it had been when they first arrived, but she still moaned when her alarm rang beside her ear. Polly and Eliseo had grown comfortable with each other as they spent time with the four Percherons. Her body had finally gotten used to hauling hay and feed and this summer she had begun learning to ride.
Eliseo was incredibly patient with her and with the horses. She couldn't believe how lucky she’d been that he chose her barn to sleep in last spring when he came into town with nowhere to stay. The man had grown up with horses and was the one who figured out that the Pe
rcherons had been extensively trained to team work. They were all comfortable with a saddle on their backs and while Polly was least comfortable riding Nan, Eliseo made sure she got on each of the four. Polly enjoyed riding Demi most of all. He seemed to know she was a novice and when she forgot what signals to give, waited patiently for her to figure it out.
Nan, on the other hand, was independent and bull-headed. The only person who comfortably rode her was Eliseo. As soon as he was on her back, a few pats on her neck and some quiet words settled her.
Polly found a note that had been slid underneath the front door to her apartment. She opened it and read, "Polly, we have a surprise for you when you come down to the barn. Hurry!"
Jason signed it with his name and a flourish. Polly loved Sylvie's two boys. Jason was about to turn thirteen and Andrew was nine. They were well-spoken and polite boys whose mother wouldn't tolerate anything less. It made it easy for Polly to open her home to them while Sylvie took classes. They took care of her animals while she worked and Jason had fallen in love with her horses. He looked up to Eliseo and followed him around the barn as often as he could get down there.
Once school was out, the boys spent their days at Sycamore House. Sylvie was grateful they weren't stuck in a small apartment and Polly enjoyed the companionship and additional life they brought to everything that happened during the day.
She pulled her boots on and left the note on the table in the entryway.
"Obiwan, you have to wait this morning. If this is what I think it is, I don't want you to spook either Jason or the horses. I'll be back." She shut the door on the poor dog as he sat there looking up at her.
When she opened Sycamore House's side door, there was no activity outside of the barn, so she headed on down, through the gates and pens.
Polly opened the main door to the barn and smiled. Jason's grin was immense when he saw her. He was sitting astride Nat, riding without Eliseo leading them. She pushed the doors fully open and gestured to the outside.
"Are you ready to try this on your own today?" she asked.
"Eliseo says I am!" Jason announced, his back straight and his left hand holding the reins.
"Keep him at a walk, bud," Eliseo said. "You'll be fine."
"I'm proud of you, Jason." Polly said. "You've done really well."
Eliseo pulled himself up onto Nan's back. "I'm right behind you, Jason. Go ahead."
Jason didn't turn to look, just rode on into the pen.
Polly said, "I feel as if you've just taken off his training wheels."
Eliseo smiled. "He wants to ride in the parade next week. That’s our goal now."
Eliseo had been 'ponying' Jason for the last week, holding a leadrope and keeping both the boy and the horse on a short tether as Jason learned the basics of horsemanship and how to sit comfortably in the saddle of such a large animal.
Polly walked out beside Eliseo as he rode into the pen and leaned back on the fence to watch. She hadn't had much more experience on horses than Jason. Her last memory of being on a horse before climbing up on Demi’s back was with a friend in high school who took her out every once in a while to ride.
That last time was Polly's Rubicon. The two girls had decided to ride bareback and upon arriving at the city park, Polly calculated the distance to the ground and decided she should be able to ... ahhhh ... no.
When she began breathing once more, her head cleared and light returned to her vision, she realized she was flat on her back on the ground and her friend was peering down at her with a worried look in her eyes.
"You're not supposed to slide off the back of the horse unless you know what you're doing, Polly," her friend had exclaimed.
"It seemed like a good idea at the time." After a bit of rest, they got back on the horse and headed home to the stable.
She'd never done that again and had rarely ridden after that. A good hard thunk to her system had put the fear of horses in her. Polly's dad didn’t have horses on the farm since there wasn’t enough time to care for them. She hadn't felt as if she'd missed out then, but now that the Percherons were in her life, she wished she was a more experienced horse owner. Like they said, though, it was never too late to begin.
Polly wandered back into the barn. The horses had all been fed, so she opened the stall doors to release Demi and Daisy out into the pasture for the day. Both of them immediately realized that Nan was otherwise occupied and rushed to the main hay pile. Because Nan was such an alpha, she generally pushed the others out of the way. Polly and Eliseo made sure that there were several different hay piles available, but it seemed as if Nan's was prime territory and these two were going to take advantage while they could. She watched as Demi found a pile of loose hay on the ground, stretched out his front legs, tilted to his right side and rolled on to his back. She laughed at his enjoyment and watched the scene until he was upright again.
"Attaboy!" she called. "Enjoy your day, we'll brush you off later." She scooped out the stalls and brought fresh bedding in, then went back to the pen.
Eliseo rode over to her and said, "He's doing well. I'm going to take him on a short ride around the property. I have a lot of mowing and yard cleanup after yesterday's thunderstorm, so we won't be out too long."
Polly nodded, "That's fine, Eliseo. Thank you."
She walked back up to Sycamore House and waved at some of the workmen she recognized as they came across the parking lot.
Jeff stopped her as she passed the classrooms on her way back to her apartment.
"Good morning, Polly!"
"Hey Jeff, what's up."
"We have a full house today. Would you consider mixing up some of your famous cinnamon rolls?"
"Me?"
He looked chagrined. "I forgot to say something to Sylvie and she's swamped with classwork. I figured I might be able to smile pretty and convince you to bake. You've done it before, you know."
She couldn't help but laugh at him. "Yes, I will make cinnamon rolls. How many people do you have here today?"
"Would you be able to make chocolate chip cookies for this afternoon?"
"You're really pushing it, aren't you!" She swatted his upper arm.
"Is it cheating to tell you that I checked your calendar and there's nothing on it? I'm so sorry!"
Polly shook her head and drew in a breath. "Don’t worry about it. Of course I can do this. So, tell me who I'm baking for today."
"We have a Bible study in here at nine. They're going to take a break at ten and an AA group meets in the auditorium at ten thirty. I told them I would have food and coffee in there when people arrived. This afternoon Mary Hindelman has a knitting class and Art Howard is teaching a computer class to a group of senior citizens."
"So, how much baking am I doing?"
"Well, I thought you might want to have enough for our guests upstairs,” he said tentatively, “and the guys who are working on the addition and maybe for the Parade planning team that is meeting in the conference room."
She took another deep breath. "I need to run Obiwan this morning and take a shower. Then I'll be back downstairs to do your bidding. Would you make sure we have plenty of flour and sugar?"
"I'm on it. Thanks, Polly. I can't believe I missed this."
Polly rolled her eyes sideways at him, "It's no big deal. Maybe it will keep me out of trouble today."
She walked up the steps muttering. "And maybe it will keep my mind occupied."
Obiwan had settled back onto her bed, but jumped up when she walked in the door. He followed her down the back steps and waited patiently for her to snap the leash on his collar.
Andrew Donovan was sitting at his desk, quietly reading.
"Hey Andrew, why didn't you go up to the apartment?"
He held a book up for her to see, "I finished the first book last night and wanted to start reading this one as soon as possible."
"You nut. I'm running outside with Obiwan. We'll be back."
"I'll be here. It's just starting to get good.
"
"You can take your book upstairs. I know the cats would love to see you."
"No, I'm fine. I like it here."
Polly and the dog went through the garage to the back yard. They meandered through the young sycamore trees lining the driveway and walked over to the garden that had begun to take shape on the corner of the lot. She wasn't about to let Obiwan wander through there, though. His big, happy feet would destroy things, so they quickly crossed the highway over to the parking lot of the swimming pool and then into the wooded area behind the tennis courts. After fifteen minutes, she turned him around and they trotted back to Sycamore House.
She tapped Andrew on the shoulder as she passed him. "Are you sure?"
"I'm good," he said distractedly.
She and Obiwan went up the steps. She showered, pulled her wet hair back into a pony tail, dressed and went down again.
"I'm going to be in the kitchen for a while. If you need anything, come get me," she said to Andrew.
This time she didn't even get a word from him, just a nod as he continued to read.
There was a note written in black Sharpie on the prep table beside most of the ingredients she needed.
"I'm sorry! I pulled out everything I could think of. I don't need cookies until two thirty. Thank you! Jeff."
Polly shook her head and smiled. She didn't have much to complain about. There always seemed to be something happening in the building. From the moment he arrived on the scene last Christmas, Jeff had been planning ways to increase Sycamore House's visibility. With him coordinating things and Sylvie Donovan catering events, they saw a profit last month, which kept Polly's accountant happy. The inheritance from her father had been well invested and gave her quite a bit of cushion to build and renovate, but a profitable business kept tough conversations at bay.
She opened her phone, pulled up the recipe for the cinnamon rolls and began assembling the ingredients. As they rose, she mixed another batch.
Secrets and Revelations (Bellingwood #4) Page 2